HEADLINES

New Orleans Saints News & Rumors

Saints To Activate WR Tommylee Lewis

November 21st, 2018 at 3:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 9-1 Saints will soon receive more help. They are activating wide receiver Tommylee Lewis, their primary return man, from IR, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

New Orleans will waive offensive lineman Chaz Green to make room. Lewis was designated as an IR-return player earlier this month. He has not played since Week 2 due to a knee injury.

Lewis served as the Saints’ kick- and punt-return specialist from 2016-17, primarily working as a kick returner. With the Saints waiving Green, whom they recently signed, it appears they’ll be going with a six-wideout group entering their Week 12 matchup with the Falcons.

New Orleans lost Dez Bryant days after signing him but added Brandon Marshall and Keith Kirkwood and are now bringing back Lewis. So, New Orleans is now much deeper at wideout than it was two weeks ago.

A former UDFA out of Northern Illinois, Lewis caught 10 passes for 116 yards last season. The Saints have used third-string quarterback-turned-gadget dynamo Taysom Hill as their primary kick returner in Lewis’ absence. Alvin Kamara has returned the bulk of the punts.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/15/18

November 15th, 2018 at 7:12pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s practice squad updates:

Dallas Cowboys

  • Signed: DL Aziz Shittu

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Giants

New Orleans Saints

Miami Dolphins

Washington Redskins

Saints’ Terron Armstead To Miss Time

November 14th, 2018 at 9:56am CST by Zachary Links

Saints left tackle Terron Armstead is expected to miss three to four weeks with a pectoral injury, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Armstead suffered the injury in Sunday’s one-sided win over the Bengals. 

The Saints turned to veteran Jermon Bushrod after Armstead’s exit, so it stands to reason that he will start in Armstead’s absence. The Saints also have Michael Ola and tackle/guard Chaz Green to support Bushrod and Ryan Ramczyk, so they don’t necessarily have to add a tackle this week.

With an 8-1 record, the Saints are fighting more for playoff positioning than a postseason berth. They have a comfortable, though not insurmountable, lead over the 6-3 Panthers for the NFC South title and they are second only to the 9-1 Rams in the NFC. Clearly, they did not miss a beat after Armstead’s exit on Sunday, so this is unlikely to unravel the Saints’ passing offense in the coming weeks.

Armstead, 27, ranks as the league’s No. 1 overall tackle this year, according to Pro Football Focus.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/13/18

November 13th, 2018 at 9:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

NFL Workout Updates: 11/13/18

November 13th, 2018 at 9:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here’s the latest from the workout circuit. All links go to NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account, unless otherwise noted.

Arizona Cardinals

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Oakland Raiders

Tennessee Titans

Saints To Sign Brandon Marshall

November 12th, 2018 at 10:30am CST by Zachary Links

Veteran wide receiver Brandon Marshall is signing a one-year deal with the Saints, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Marshall will step in for Dez Bryant, who suffered a season-ending Achilles tear just hours after inking his contract with the team. 

Marshall hooked on with the Seahawks this offseason, and while he found the end zone in Week 1 of the regular season, his playing time quickly diminished. He was targeted just twice during his last three games with Seattle and was let go on October 30. He’s clearly lost a step or two, and probably doesn’t have the same upside as a healthy Bryant, but the Saints feel that he can offer quality support behind top receivers Michael Thomas and Tre’Quan Smith.

Marshall is a six-time Pro Bowler, but he hasn’t played at an elite level since the 2015 season in which he posted 109 receptions, 1,502 yards, and a league-leading 14 touchdowns for the Jets. Injuries have limited his effectiveness and overall production, and Marshall appeared in only five games a year ago before going on injured reserve with a ankle injury. With the Saints, he’ll have a chance to prove he can still be a difference-maker.

As Schefter notes, Marshall has never made a playoff game in his 13-year career, but he now has a good chance of seeing the postseason for the first time. After a 51-14 throttling of the Bengals, Marshall and the Saints will face the Eagles in New Orleans on Sunday.

Brandon Marshall To Visit Saints Monday

November 11th, 2018 at 9:35pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Right after Dez Bryant tore his achilles, it was reported that the Saints were interested in going after Brandon Marshall. Things appear to be progressing toward a signing, as Marshall will visit the team in New Orleans tomorrow and the Saints hope to sign him, a source told Nick Underhill of the Advocate.

After an injury-ruined 2017 season with the Giants, Marshall latched on with the Seahawks this offseason. He showed flashes, but ultimately lasted only seven games in Seattle, where he caught 11 passes for 136 yards and one touchdown. He’s been plagued by injuries the last few seasons, but as recently as 2015 he was one of the best receivers in football. In 2015 he caught 109 passes for 1502 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Marhsall also auditioned for the Lions after the Seahawks cut him loose, and apparently the Saints — who now have five receivers on IR — were considering bringing Marshall aboard even if Bryant had not gotten hurt. Given the state of New Orleans’ wide receiver depth chart, Marshall would likely see a fair amount of playing time if he ends up signing with the Saints.

It sounds like Marshall could be signed within the next day, and although it remains to be seen how much he has left in the tank at age 34, should provide an instant boost to the New Orleans passing game. Seemingly every receiver the Saints have other than Michael Thomas has been seriously injured at some point, and it can’t hurt to bring Marshall in.

Saints Open To Bringing Back Dez Bryant

November 11th, 2018 at 12:27pm CST by Rory Parks

Saints WR Dez Bryant suffered a brutal blow when he tore his Achilles just two days after signing with the club, thereby shelving him for about eight months. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link) noted that Bryant’s recovery timeline could make his 2019 foray into free agency just as complicated as his 2018 one, though RapSheet does report in a separate piece that the Saints are open to bringing Bryant back next season (which Jay Glazer of FOX Sports [video link] also hears). Rapoport also says that Saints head coach Sean Payton fully expects Bryant to continue his playing career, and that Saints players quickly got to know Bryant and were stung by the injury (Twitter link). Given that, and given that Bryant made a concerted effort to improve his route running this offseason, perhaps he will still end up playing for New Orleans.

  • Adam Schefter of ESPN.com details (via Twitter) the $500K in incentives (all tied to receptions) that were built in to Bryant’s contract with the Saints, which is obviously a moot point now. Earlier today, Schefter reported that the Saints are expected to pursue Brandon Marshall now that Bryant is on IR.

Saints To Pursue WR Brandon Marshall

November 11th, 2018 at 9:47am CST by Rory Parks

When Dez Bryant tore his Achilles during a practice with the Saints just two days after signing with them, it was reported that New Orleans could turn to another veteran wide receiver to fill the void. Prior to signing Bryant, the Saints brought in 34-year-old Brandon Marshall for a workout, and they were apparently quite impressed with him. Now, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com writes that the Saints are expected to circle back to Marshall and could sign him in short order.

Marshall hooked on with the Seahawks this offseason, and while he found the endzone in Week 1 of the regular season, his playing time quickly diminished and he was targeted just twice during his last three games with Seattle. He was released on October 30.

Marhsall also auditioned for the Lions after the Seahawks cut him loose, and apparently the Saints — who now have five receivers on IR — were considering bringing Marshall aboard even if Bryant had not gotten hurt. Given the state of New Orleans’ wide receiver depth chart, Marshall would likely see a fair amount of playing time if he ends up signing with the Saints.

He would also likely see postseason action for the first time in his career. Although he is a six-time Pro Bowl selection and has six seasons with at least 100 receptions, Marshall has never been fortunate enough to be on a playoff team during his 13 seasons in the league. The 7-1 Saints, though, have legitimate Super Bowl aspirations, so Marshall could finally get his chance as his excellent career draws to a close.

Saints Place Dez Bryant On IR

November 10th, 2018 at 1:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

The bad news coming out of New Orleans on Friday turned out to be true. Dez Bryant did tear an Achilles’ tendon, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Bryant’s rehab timeline is tentatively set at eight months, per Schefter.

The Saints are placing their recently acquired wide receiver on IR, per Nick Underhill of The Advocate (on Twitter). They will end up promoting a wideout from their practice squad, with Underhill tweeting Keith Kirkwood will make the move up to the 53-man roster. This move was expected prior to Bryant’s injury, per Underhill (on Twitter).

New Orleans previously housed only three healthy wideouts — Michael Thomas, Tre’Quan Smith and Austin Carr. Bryant, who was a member of this healthy contingent for less than two days, joins Ted Ginn, Tommylee Lewis and Cameron Meredith on the Saints’ IR list. Although, Lewis has resumed practicing and could be activated soon.

This development, interestingly, shouldn’t affect the Saints too much, which is rare for a sequence featuring a high-profile player going down. They’ve won seven straight games and were betting Bryant could provide a boost of some sort. But the Saints have a top-10 offense that will take the field in Cincinnati featuring the same cast that spearheaded a 45-35 win over the Rams last week.

Bryant’s trajectory, obviously, has been significantly altered after going down on the final play of his second Saints practice.

Instead of going into free agency on the heels of being a cog in a Drew Brees-led passing attack, he’ll have a months-long rehab effort to complete before being ready to contribute again. He won’t be ready by the time the new league year begins and may have to wait deep into the 2019 offseason to sign.

Bryant’s most recent work sample, a 16-game season with the 2017 Cowboys, featured his fewest yards per game (52.4) since his rookie season. This injury certainly won’t have teams aggressively pursuing him. It’s a brutal blow for a player who spent months as an outspoken free agent and one who hoped to have a better shot at cashing in next year.

Kirkwood has yet to play an NFL down. He played at Hawaii and Temple from 2013-17, finishing his career with back-to-back 600-yard receiving seasons, totaling 11 aerial touchdowns in those years.

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